The present invention relates to a car body with a front section with longitudinal supports that are arranged so as to be parallel to the longitudinal axis of the car body, a coupling support, and buffer elements. Such front sections ensure the transfer of the longitudinal forces as laid down by the regulations that are in force for the homologation of railway-car bodies, and simultaneously serve as deformation zones in the event of an uncontrolled impact of the car against an obstacle.
In the structures known up to now, the longitudinal forces that act on railways cars, which are transferred by the buffers on impact and by the couplings when the car is being pulled, are passed separately to the bodie frames. The rail-car underframes, to which the buffers and the couplings are secured, incorporate different deformation elements, e.g., several types of stiffening, so as to prevent damage being done to the car-body underframe in the event of uncontrolled impact of the car against an obstacle.
One disadvantage in these existing solutions is the complexity of the design that incorporates reinforcing elements, and the associated great mass of the underframe assembly; additional disadvantages are the increased labor cost incurred during the manufacturing process, and finally, increased manufacturing costs.
The disadvantages referred to above have been eliminated by the car body for railway cars with a front section according to the present invention in that, in order to form the front part of the front section, a motor transverse beam is secured rigidly to the side supports so as to be horizontal and perpendicular to the longitudinal supports that are arranged at the sides of the coach body; in that, starting from the point of attachment towards the buffer elements, the end sections of the longitudinal supports are arranged so as to be diagonal relative to the longitudinal axis of the coach body; and in that the buffer mounting is secured at the mid-point of the motor transverse beam and connected rigidly to the buffer head elements through diagonal supports; and in that in order to form a rear section of the front section, parallel to and spaced back from the motor transverse beam there is a transfer support and this, too, is connected at its ends to the longitudinal supports. Reinforcing plates are installed in the upper and under sides of the front section, in an area of the front part and of and the rear part.
The front part of the front section ensures that longitudinal forces are transferred from the coupling or the buffers directly onto the longitudinal side supports without any additional diagonal or longitudinal stiffening, as was used in earlier solutions when, because of the position of the reinforcement, the functionality of the costly main transverse support of the car body was threatened during an uncontrolled impact, even at low speeds. In the case of the front section according to the present invention, the floor plates are used, and these are protected against any loss of stability by special stabilizing stiffening. The rear or back part of the front section is formed from longitudinal supports, plates, and the transfer transverse support, as a compact, welded element. By changing the arrangement of the stabilizing stiffening and the thickness of the plates that make up this welded element, it is possible to match the design of the front section not only to specific transfer of longitudinal forces, but also to the demands that are imposed for the type of front-section deformation and limiting deformation forces, so that to a certain extent the main transverse supports of the car body and the passenger area are protected against damage in the event of uncontrolled collision or impact. This results in a significant increase in the passive security during operation of a railway car. At the same time, the labor and material costs incurred during production are reduced, as is the overall weight of the car.